We walk off, and slowly head up the steps taking it all in. Once we’re through the door, a man much like the one I’m with greats us, smiling wide, shaking his hand, and talking a mile a minute. I ignore them but stay close to him, knowing that anything else would be deemed disrespectful and I’d suffer repercussions that I don’t even want to imagine would be reigned down upon me.
I look up and my eyes clash with a pair that sets my panic radar on edge, but also surrounds me like a heated blanket, it warms my body from the inside out. His eyes are barely visible from under the brim of his hat, but there’s a pull, invoking something that’s buried deep inside of me. I’m called to him by some unknown force, and yet, I still am fearful of him. The dread is something I know all too well; it's the desire that gives me pause. I want to go to him, to have him pull me into his arms and tell me that it’s all going to be okay.
Laughter draws my eyes off the stranger, and toward the corner of the room where there seems to be a card game in session. When I look back to where the stranger was, he’s no longer there. My body wilts at the loss of him being there. I look done at my hand, twisting them in front of me when I feel fire at my back.
“To show such fear in a room full of monsters is just asking to be eaten by one,” is whispered so low that I begin to wonder if I’ve imagined it.
Keeping my eyes downcast so I don’t draw any unwanted attention to myself, I admit, “If being eaten by a monster will get me out of here, then point me in the direction of the worst in the room.”
“That is not something you should ask for. It seems you’ve caught the interest of the worst one,” the strange voice announces.
“If you are speaking of the man standing to my right not paying any attention to me, then I have nothing to fear seeing as I’ve survived him many times over,” I say as I glare over my shoulder, aiming my eyes at the man.
When our sight connects, nothing else in the world matters. It’s just him and me. I see the monster that he is speaking of, and for a reason I cannot explain, I want to be consumed by it and him. I want him to take away the memories of all the others who’ve hurt me and replace them with himself. Yes, there is fear flooding my system as the promises I see scare and excite me. But for some reason I can’t decipher, I still want to give into it all and give him every inch of my soul.
“You might want to step back from my woman,” is said by my companion, with an authoritative tone that no one believes. It’s shaky, making his bravado laughable.
The eyes of the true monster move away from mine, and land in the direction of the man who brought me. A cold sneer slowly, and maliciously crawls across the strangers face, and I can’t even explain what it does to me.
“And who might you be?” the stranger queries.
“I’m the man that holds the power here, and I’m the man that owns this mouse,” he counters, stepping between me and the man in the hat.
The stranger chortles loudly, everything in the room stops at the sound, and all eyes are stuck on us. I take a step away from the two men, wanting to be cautious since I’m not sure what’s going to happen next. This is when I should make my grand escape and get as far from this showdown as I can. I take two large steps back, getting ready to meld into the crowd and do just that, when the next set of words stop me dead from my retreat.
“Don’t you take another step,” the stranger barks out.
I stop cold, not willing to test the tone I hear in his voice by steadily moving away. I look up into the dark eyes of the stranger, seeing the promises in them, turning me hot and flustered again.
“Listen, pal, I don’t know who you think you are telling my women what to do like that. You need to take a step away and leave us be.” I slap my hand across my mouth to keep the laughter at bay. This stranger could toss him across the room with a flick of his finger, he doesn’t stand a chance going up against him.
“That’s the problem we seem to be having. You don’t know who I am, and I could rightly care less who you think you are. Why don’t you do us both a favor, and just leave me to take care of the lady. You can find yourself a new one.” The Monster purrs like it’s the best idea he’s ever had.
“Fuck you! I can have you taken care of with the snap of a finger. Now, leave while you still can.” My captor turns, grabbing ahold of my arm, snatching it up in a vice-like grip, causing me to cry out in pain.
We make it about five steps from the stranger when all of a sudden, we come to a halt as an arm reaches around him before I’m sprayed with a crimson stream of blood. I scream, covering my mouth as I watch the essence of the man that has haunted my every nightmare, laid there at my feet dying.
A body breaks my line of sight. My eyes scan up long legs that lead to a narrow waist, continuing across a large, broad chest, and up to a chiseled face. My eyes continue to take in everything in front of me when I finally make it to the dark pools of night. I take a small step back, causing the fire burning brightly in his eyes to grow.
He reaches out, brushing a thumb over my cheek, and says, “The fear in your eyes is like the north star guiding me through the atmosphere.”
“You just k-k-k-killed him,” I stutter, not knowing what else there is left to say.
“He harmed you, and not in a way that is meant to bring you pleasure,” he says, followed by a wink like what he’s done is nothing.
“I need to go,” I whisper before turning to make a run for it.
CHAPTEREIGHT
HENDRICK
I knowI’ve just started something that's going to cause the boss to lose his shit. End of the day though, I don’t fucking care. He should’ve just let me have her. Instead, he insulted me and caused her harm. The monster roared his head so fast, that I didn’t even consider what I was doing, or what the outcome would be when I slit his throat. The spray of crimson calms me, allowing me to think rationally.
I let the man drop to the floor, turning to the object of my obsession. Her eyes are just as I remember them, big and bright with fear shining in their depths, calling me to her. I reach forward, running my thumb over her cheek and wiping some of the blood away.
“You just k-k-killed him,” she stutters, paling.
“He harmed you, and not in a way that is meant to bring you pleasure,” I state, then wink, not caring that I just murdered a man.
